Hopefully in a short time I will be able to hear how the Auditor drives my 880s. It has been quite the adventure and stretched my budget quite a bit (thanks head-fi). When I first purchased the Auditor I did not fully understand the implications of it's XLR only inputs. Now I have an Audiolab 8200CD due to arrive in a few days, but even that isn't the end of my adventure, I am waiting for some XLR cables as well! Eventually I will be able to drive the 880s properly and from what I have read, the Auditor should be almost as good as it can get with these headphones.

The MKIII is a great amp for the money and it's powerful. I believe it's a better option to spend some extra money and get with the Crack or WA3. Both are much better than the Little-Dot amps.

I use this amp for many ears. Good value indeed. But you'll need Mullard M8100 / CV4010 (25$ pair) to make it sing. The amp sings great with HD650 also. I couldn't find a better 200$ amp for beyerdynamic headphones.

I use this amp for many ears. Good value indeed. But you'll need Mullard M8100 / CV4010 (25$ pair) to make it sing. The amp sings great with HD650 also. I couldn't find a better 200$ amp for beyerdynamic headphones.

I've actually just picked up a Little Dot MK3 with a pair of Mullard M8100's and a pair of CV4010's.

Just wondering, can I use the M8100 and the CV4010's together, or do I have to always have the same driver tube? i.e - M8100 + M8100 or CV4010 + CV4010.

Would it damage the amp if I did a M8100 + CV4010 combo? Or are they essentially the same tube, so it would render this combo useless anyway?

I also got a pair of Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV's with them too, but I actually prefer the Mullards. The darker tone and added bass really compliments the DT880's.

I'm also guessing you wouldn't be able to mix a Voshkod with a Mullard? It's a shame, because I think the high clarity of the Voshkod, fused with the deeper low tones of the Mullard would work excellently together.

Hopefully in a short time I will be able to hear how the Auditor drives my 880s. It has been quite the adventure and stretched my budget quite a bit (thanks head-fi). When I first purchased the Auditor I did not fully understand the implications of it's XLR only inputs. Now I have an Audiolab 8200CD due to arrive in a few days, but even that isn't the end of my adventure, I am waiting for some XLR cables as well! Eventually I will be able to drive the 880s properly and from what I have read, the Auditor should be almost as good as it can get with these headphones.

Would it damage the amp if I did a M8100 + CV4010 combo? Or are they essentially the same tube, so it would render this combo useless anyway?

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They are the same tube. Any combo value would be a result of vintage and condition/strength. As far as I know, there were not very many versions of these so you wouldn't even have different constructions (long plate/smooth plate, etc.) Ultimately, you want your pairs to be as similar as possible (to the other in the pair - to avoid channel imbalances).

They are the same tube. Any combo value would be a result of vintage and condition/strength. As far as I know, there were not very many versions of these so you wouldn't even have different constructions (long plate/smooth plate, etc.) Ultimately, you want your pairs to be as similar as possible (to the other in the pair - to avoid channel imbalances).

Just got an answer in the Little Dot MK3 thread. Apparently David has mentioned that mixing tubes can be done, but as you say, there may be some channel imbalance.

I actually found that the CV4010 + M8100 combo worked really nicely together, the CV4010's are just a little bit darker. Definitely didn't hear any channel imbalance. Although, if I go back now and try it, maybe because I'm actually looking out for it, I might notice it.

EDIT - Listening back, I think overall the CV4010 + CV4010 sounds best. The bass is so nice. Whether it's to do with the age of the tubes, or condition/strength, the M8100's are definitely more trebly. Everything sounds a lot thinner.

These are the two different Mullards I have. They don't look like the same tube?

i had Woo6 intended for the DT880 600 ohm. Smooth...In fact too tamed. Zombie_X is right. Either the Woo3 or the bottlehead crack would drive like an american muscle car. I am using the crack and it provides alot of power with reserve to push it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bixby

exactly the result I got with many solid state and chip amps. The right tubes and tube amp change things a lot.

yes, after trying a number of combos, I too settled on tube amps at work and at home for my dt880s - the WA3+ is excellent, but even my old Lunchbox from Lithuania is a big improvement over a range of alternatives. on the other hand, despite some fellow IEM enthusiasts now using tube amps, I have not found that worth it. nice to have choices in listening

I'm moving to different collage soon, and I would need a "all in one" solution for my DT880's 600 Ohm. A dac, amp and maybe a speaker amp in one, for small bookshelf speakers, but primarily headphones matter. So I was thinking a good stereo receiver might work? Something from Yamaha maybe, they've got great DAC's inside (burr browns 24/192), nice speaker amps, and I guess enough power, since headphone jacks are fed directly from the speaker amp unit.

Does anyone have experience with 880's and integrated amps / receivers?

I'm asking because I was surprised by how nice the 880's sound plugged into my ancient Philips FW-M567 stereo system, which is a pretty cheap (costed less 10 years ago than DT880s cost today), pretty old mini hifi system. But it sounds very good. Obviously, it hasn't got the power to run the 880's very loud, but at 30/40 volume it sound very clean, very controlled, etc. Control is the biggest surprise, bass is so tight and solid. It actually sounds as good if not better than my main headphone setup, which is the MF M1DAC + Bellari HA540's, although it obviously can't get as loud. Its as detailed, nothing is missing, the slightest details that I can hear on main setup are prefectly audible. Soundstage is also as big and spaceus, plus there are various dolby-like mods for virtual surround. Its obviously a very low end receiver, but if it can do such a good job, it makes me question whether a 600-700$ receiver will be excellent.

Any other suggestions? It doesn't have to be a receiver, just an all in one DAC + amp. Budget 600-700$.

Also, is it normal for the sliding mechanism for expanding the headband to be very loose? There are almost no clicks, cups just slide up and down almost freely when not on the head, its freaking annoying having to adjust the headband every time I put them on my head.

I'm moving to different collage soon, and I would need a "all in one" solution for my DT880's 600 Ohm. A dac, amp and maybe a speaker amp in one, for small bookshelf speakers, but primarily headphones matter. So I was thinking a good stereo receiver might work? Something from Yamaha maybe, they've got great DAC's inside (burr browns 24/192), nice speaker amps, and I guess enough power, since headphone jacks are fed directly from the speaker amp unit.

Does anyone have experience with 880's and integrated amps / receivers?

I'm asking because I was surprised by how nice the 880's sound plugged into my ancient Philips FW-M567 stereo system, which is a pretty cheap (costed less 10 years ago than DT880s cost today), pretty old mini hifi system. But it sounds very good. Obviously, it hasn't got the power to run the 880's very loud, but at 30/40 volume it sound very clean, very controlled, etc. Control is the biggest surprise, bass is so tight and solid. It actually sounds as good if not better than my main headphone setup, which is the MF M1DAC + Bellari HA540's, although it obviously can't get as loud. Its as detailed, nothing is missing, the slightest details that I can hear on main setup are prefectly audible. Soundstage is also as big and spaceus, plus there are various dolby-like mods for virtual surround. Its obviously a very low end receiver, but if it can do such a good job, it makes me question whether a 600-700$ receiver will be excellent.

Any other suggestions? It doesn't have to be a receiver, just an all in one DAC + amp. Budget 600-700$.

Also, is it normal for the sliding mechanism for expanding the headband to be very loose? There are almost no clicks, cups just slide up and down almost freely when not on the head, its freaking annoying having to adjust the headband every time I put them on my head.

Thanks

If you don't mind spending less than your budget and not having a speaker amp option, there's the Audio GD NFB-12.1 or 15.1. I have the NFB-12 (option to change oversampling settings via internal jumpers), which has plenty of power to drive the 600ohm DT880's (or orthos like Hifiman 5LE or 500) and enough versatility in DAC sound (via oversampling settings) to fit your needs. Since I bought mine, they added external switches to change the oversampling settings (much more convenient). The 15.1 is only $20-30 more and supposedly makes incremental improvements. If it were me today, I'd get the 15.1 if ~$250 were my budget. It's quite a bit more compact than a full size receiver too. By the way, I did have the DT880's and did use them with the NFB-12 and thought they did a good job. I found the DT880's a little strong on the treble side and a little light on the bass, and the NFB-12 (with the oversampling setting I used at least) seemed to tame the highs just a bit and had great bass punch.

If this is too low for your budget, Audio GD has higher end options like NFB-10.2, but I've never heard them. They have balanced output options as well for future flexibility.

I have a Yamaha RX-V663 receiver in my HT setup, but never plugged the DT880's into that. I wasn't aware that the HP output is fed from the main amp unit.

Another option (if you're so inclined) is a vintage receiver, which would give you a cool/retro look, but these (at least 70's options) wouldn't have a DAC, but you could get a vintage receiver with a dedicated DAC like BiFrost. With your budget, you could get a vintage receiver that had been reconditioned (re-capped) to avoid worries about leaking caps. I bought a late 70's Yahama receiver for $35 (not reconditioned, but in great condition and caps were fine, for now) and HP out is really powerful and has really nice look and sound.

A dac, amp and maybe a speaker amp in one, for small bookshelf speakers, but primarily headphones matter. So I was thinking a good stereo receiver might work? Something from Yamaha maybe, they've got great DAC's inside (burr browns 24/192), nice speaker amps, and I guess enough power, since headphone jacks are fed directly from the speaker amp unit.

Does anyone have experience with 880's and integrated amps / receivers?

I'm using the audio-out of my Yamaha speaker amp (as you noticed with burr brown DAC) and a Corda Rock amp (220 €). The result is very good. I can imagine you can get an even better DAC for the money (~500 €), but definitely not with the same function list (music streaming, iOS support, radio, ...).

As a budget tip, I'd even dare to recommend the old Zero DAC '09 USB. I still have one in my closet and although it performs poorly with many headphones, I feel like it was designed specifically for the DT-880 with 600 ohms. It only costs as much as sushi for two. ;)

Actually I just plugged the Beyer straight into the headphone out. As long as you stick to 'straight' output or pure direct, the sound is very good. Makes me wonder. I will have to compare more closely...

I have a Yamaha RX-V663 receiver in my HT setup, but never plugged the DT880's into that. I wasn't aware that the HP output is fed from the main amp unit.

Most ht receivers in the last 20 years or so don't have the hp out fed via speaker outputs like the old school 70-80 receivers. And most sound pretty bad. Unless you got the exception to the rule, don't be in too much of a hurry to try it.